Sunday, December 2, 2012

First Sunday of Advent

‘Watch yourselves or your hearts will be coarsened
with debauchery and drunkenness and the cares of life and that day will spring
on you like a trap.’Lk 21:34

Debauchery drunkenness and the cares of life- all
placed together in one sentence by Jesus, all presented to us by him as being
equally destructive, coarsening our hearts and preventing us from being aware
of, and ready for, his coming, his many comings through out each day and
consequently unprepared for his final coming.

There we have it---the cares of life are placed right
alongside drunkenness and debauchery ---and with no escaping it as it comes
straight from our Lord’s own lips. Do we really take this seriously enough or
have our hearts indeed become coarsened, dulled and insensitive to the delicacy
of our loved One’s touch so that we are no longer even conscious of the subtle
movements of grace, the voice of the spirit calling us gently to deeper union
and greater self giving. It is so easy to become comfortable with my
selfishness, to allow my petty self concern pass unnoticed, to be untroubled by
the negative movements of my own spirit- nothing as glaringly obvious as
drunkenness and debauchery- but perhaps more insidious and dangerous because
more easily overlooked or excused.

What are the cares of life? Are they not the thoughts
and actions that draw our hearts away from Jesus? What preoccupies me? What
thoughts are running round in my head when I stop and become aware of myself? In
the past hour where have I been? Where does my mind go when it is not occupied
with the task in hand?Is even the task
in hand perhaps a care of life?. Something necessary, yes, and perhaps even
noble in its self but how much honesty and integrity do I bring to it? Have I
invested more care, more time more energy in it that is needful? And to what
end, for what reason- to impress, to make myself acceptable to God, to others,
to justify myself, to keep in control. Have I been too concerned about its success
because any hint of failure makes me feel vulnerable? And so it goes on….

Then there are the good things….our concern for one
another; our anxiety for the sick; our worry over those hurting; our heartache
over the Church and the world? Can these also become the cares of life? Are
there not times when our anxiety exhausts us, numbing us, preventing us
concentrating, preventing us praying. Can we not become fixated on our worries,
responding with an intensity and distress to life’s dramas big and small, within
and outside ourselves that perhaps stems from a lack of trust in God’s loving
care for us and his mercy for our world?

As we journey through this Advent, it can be
different. God’s word is alive and active, offering liberation. ‘Our liberation
is at hand’. That seems to imply that we do not ourselves set our hearts free-
Freedom is given to us. Liberation comes to us and it comes in the moment when
we realise our need for it and humbly acknowledge our helplessness.

That is why we are told to watch ourselves. The
ancient monastic practise of vigilance makes it possible for our thoughts to
tell us where our hearts are, our anxieties to tell us where our trust truly
is.

These things that menace us, that bewilder us both
within ourselves and outside ourselves can become moments wherein the Son of
Man reveals his power and his glory.

1 comment:

Vocation Weekends

Whom do you seek?

We seek God, Who alone gives meaning to our lives. Communion with Christ and with one another in love, through a life of prayer centred on Jesus, the Word of God and on the Eucharist, is the focus of our community life.

Single young women attracted to this way of life are welcome to contact us and we will arrange for a visit or some days in our retreat house - either at weekend or during the week. If a few are interested at same time, and if agreeable to all, we can also arrange for a group to spend a few days together.